


Say Goodnight and Go

by hopedespite



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Marichat, Marichat | Adrien Agreste as Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Not too much, but like, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-30
Updated: 2020-11-30
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:26:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27786697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hopedespite/pseuds/hopedespite
Summary: Marinette turned to clear away the plates from their earlier meal, trying unsuccessfully to hide her smile. “Oh whatever, kitty. Just say goodnight and go.”Chat Noir grinned.“As the princess wishes [...] Just remember what they say about strays,” he warned her with a wink. “Feed them once and they’re likely to keep coming back.”
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 20
Kudos: 198





	Say Goodnight and Go

**Author's Note:**

> This is technically a songfic, as I saw "goodnight ‘n go" by Ariana Grande on a Marichat playlist and my brain immediately started going wrrrr, though you don't need to know the song to read. Also a huge thank you and shout-out to @TheBluemoon, @Mwaste161, and @writersmuse on AO3 for taking the time to beta this for me!

Chat Noir clearly had no experience in the fashion industry.

Marinette sighed, toying absentmindedly with the needle between her thumb and forefinger as she watched this absolute dork of a boy try unsuccessfully to thread his own needle. The edges were fraying further every time he tried to push it through. His tongue stuck out the side of his lips ever so slightly — a small testament to his focus and effort.

_Why does he have to be so cute? It’s impossible to ignore him when he’s like this…_

_Wait, no._

Marinette shook her head as if to clear her mind, opting instead to return both her line of sight and thoughts to the fabric at hand. He was her _partner_ , after all. She had no business entertaining such thoughts about him. Not when Adrien was already impressed so firmly upon her heart.

But still.

She snuck a sidelong glance just as he held the sewing needle up in triumph, the red thread swaying gently past his claws as his dopey grin reemerged. Victory, at last.

She couldn’t help but smile softly, too.

Thankfully, the half-finished dress on her desk absorbed all of her attention once she looked back down at her minimal progress. Even Chat’s puns and quips slowly faded into white noise, becoming a jovial backdrop to her otherwise quiet workspace.

And while the silly kitty did try to uphold his promise and repair the ripped seam of a worn blouse, for several minutes his claws proved to be obstacles unto themselves, catching and ripping the fabric further — much to his dismay and embarrassment.

Marinette giggled as a blush bloomed beneath the edge of Chat Noir’s mask.

“That’s okay, kitty,” she assured him. “It was old anyway, and I was considering donating it. I can just tear it into scrap cloth.”

“Are you sure, Marinette?” Chat Noir averted his eyes, one hand coming up to sheepishly rub at the back of his neck. “I can always buy you a new blouse to replace it.”

“Really, Chat Noir, it’s fine.”

“Just let me replace it.”

Marinette huffed.

“I said no. It’s no problem.”

“And _I_ said I would fix it for you, but I kind of did a _clawful_ job of it. So I’m buying you a new blouse.”

“No.”  
  
“Yes.”

“No, kitty, I absolutely forbid it.”

Chat Noir paused, slightly taken aback before bursting out in a surprised cackle. “ _Absolutely forbid_ ’? Strong words coming from the princess this evening.”

“Oh, whatever, kitty,” Marinette waved her hand in feigned apathy, rolling her eyes as she put down the dress. She turned to clear away the plates from their earlier meal, trying unsuccessfully to hide her smile. “Just say goodnight and go.”

Chat Noir grinned.

“As the princess wishes.” He stood to bow deftly, lowering one arm before him with the other behind his back. “It is getting late, after all.”

With that, Chat Noir climbed up the stairs to pop open the skylight and make his exit for the evening. But before he leaped onto the balcony, he paused, turning to look back over his shoulder.

“Just remember what they say about strays,” he warned her with a wink. “Feed them once and they’re likely to keep coming back.”

__________

And back he certainly came (again and again).

Most nights, Marinette found herself in the easy company of her favorite kitty, feeling slightly guilty about keeping her superheroine alter ego a secret as her civilian self indulged in his presence.

Rules were rules, but still — with the way he made her laugh, the way they got along so well, how could she possibly turn him away when she heard his soft landing on her balcony? Before they knew it, months had flown by, the passage of time marked only by their increased comfort and gradually blurred boundaries.

The more time they spent together, the more natural it felt for Marinette to place a hand on his knee or rest her chin on his shoulder.

The more the two shared meals and stole glances, the more at ease Chat Noir felt knocking on her skylight — not only when he could no longer stand the cold, isolating stagnation of home, but whenever he wanted the simple joys that came with her company.

And as their farewell banter stretched increasingly longer every night (they coaxed out every extra minute they could), their parting words always remained the same:

“Just say goodnight and go, kitty.”

Her words infused with warmth.

“As the princess wishes.”

His eyes conveying his adoration.

__________

“ _Meowch_ , princess, you wound me!” Chat Noir pressed the back of one hand to his forehead as he swooned dramatically onto the chaise. “Such cruel words from her highness tonight!”

This silver-tongued girl in pigtails was quite the change from his friend and classmate who was known to trip over both her words and feet on a daily basis. With time, Marinette had grown bolder and flirtier in her teasing, much to Chat’s surprise and delight. And she certainly teased him plenty, playing with clever jabs and retorts that could rival even that of his lady’s.  
  
“You know I’m only kidding, silly kitty,” she said, glancing at the clock. “Anyway, it’s getting late. Don’t you think you should —”  
  
“Say goodnight and go?” Chat Noir wiggled his eyebrows, beating her to the punch.

Marinette frowned. “Hey, that’s my line.”  
  
“You know, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were becoming a broken record.”  
  
“And if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were stalling,” she retorted with a smirk.

Well, she had him on that one. The truth was that he _was_ stalling, not that he’d admit it. Christmas was almost upon them, and the nearer the holidays drew, the more hollow the Agreste mansion felt — especially with his mother’s absence.

Tonight, he didn’t think he could stand to be alone.

“You’re turning this cat out into the cold?” He turned away to close his eyes and lay one hand over his heart, continuing his earlier melodrama. “Why, princess, it’s far too late! I’ve almost certainly missed my train home, by now. I guess I’ll just be forced to stay here longer, lest I wander the streets alone. And in the dark.”

He popped open one eye to look over at a cross-armed Marinette. “And did I mention that it’s cold outside?”

“Your _train_ , huh?” Marinette leaned forward to meet his gaze. “And here I thought you could just vault yourself all the way to the moon and back with that _miraculous_ baton of yours.”

She said it lightly, but her words were met by an uncharacteristic silence as Chat Noir hesitated.

He wanted to ask to stay, but he didn’t want to impose, nor did he want to make Marinette uncomfortable. But if he continued to joke and pun, she might not take his request seriously. Chat opened his mouth to speak but quickly changed his mind and looked away, lips turned downward in indecision.

Luckily, Marinette didn’t just have to read the change in his expression to understand his reluctance. As Ladybug, Chat Noir had mentioned more than once that his house didn’t necessarily constitute a home, and Marinette simply didn’t have the heart to force him away this time.

“Actually, you know what? I could use some company tonight,” she said, standing to head down to the kitchen. “Just wait here a moment.”

Chat Noir remained seated on the chaise, nervously twisting his miraculous around his finger before his restlessness got the better of him. He edged closer, crossing his legs to sit on the floor nearer to the trapdoor Marinette had disappeared beneath.

A few minutes later, she reemerged, a steaming mug in each hand. “Here, two hot chocolates with marshmallows,” she said, passing the mugs off to Chat before turning back downstairs.

The second time she returned, a thick knitted blanket was draped over her shoulders, a small space heater tucked beneath one arm.

“You were right, it’s going to be pretty cold tonight,” Marinette explained, crossing over to him. “I thought this might be a nice chance to get cozy!”

Chat Noir relaxed and, as Marinette busied herself with plugging in the softly-humming heater, he blew hesitantly on his hot chocolate before closing his eyes and releasing an inaudible sigh through his nose.

_How does she always know exactly what I need?_

Finally, Marinette circled back, cuddling up to his side and wrapping the blanket around the two of them. She smiled up at him silently, their fingertips brushing as she grabbed the other mug and rested her head on his shoulder.

Taking a sip, the hot chocolate coated Chat’s tongue and warmed his throat, but it was Marinette’s affection that was the true balm to his heart. A gentle purr began to rumble from deep within his chest.

They stayed that way for the better part of an hour, sipping their drinks until they had dozed off into the night, still propped up against one another. They awoke later only when the room was filled with a sudden, startling silence.

Marinette’s head lifted drowsily, her eyes scouring the room for the source of the subtle change. “Oh, it’s the space heater.”

She left the blanket to investigate, toying with the buttons and attempting to plug it into another outlet, all to no avail. “Sorry, kitty, the heater is down,” she said, rubbing her arms for warmth as she walked back over to Chat. “But you can still stay if you want, and I can grab another blanket if you’re cold.”

Chat Noir just nodded mutely, not entirely awake again. But after what felt like only a moment, a pillow was plopped onto the ground next to him, his eyes shifting to adjust to the sudden dark as Marinette turned off the lights and spread the comforter from her bed across the expanse of the floor he occupied.

And as he shifted to lay down, he was startled to feel her crawling underneath with him.

Oh, well _now_ he was awake. “Marinette, is — is this okay?” he asked hesitantly, despite the fact that she was the one to initiate the contact. Not that it was unwelcome.

“Um, I hope so,” came her shy response. “I mean, it would be warmer this way, don’t you think?”

“Yeah. Yeah, it would.”

“Okay.”

She snuggled closer to him, drawing up the blankets and relishing in the simple quiet the two now shared. Chat Noir’s lips ghosted over her forehead so lightly she almost wasn’t sure whether or not he had actually kissed her.

“Goodnight, silly kitty,” Marinette whispered.

“Goodnight, princess.”

Eventually, Chat’s breathing slowed, evening out as it fanned across her face. It was only when she was certain he was asleep that she finally let herself follow suit.

 _I think we’d be good_ , she thought vaguely to herself as she drifted closer toward sleep. _No, we’d be great together._

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you all for reading! You can also find me on [Tumblr](https://writtenbyrain.tumblr.com/)


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